Storm The What?
by amalspach
Summary: An AU of the episode Storm the Castle as suggested by the user 'brave kid'. A rewrite in which Toffee is quizzing Marco about Star (but I can't tell you any more, lest I ruin the whole story, so just trust me when I say that it's good). A two-shot, mild Starco story.
1. Part 1

**Hey everybody! This is my second Star Vs The Forces Of Evil fanfic. It's a two-shot rewriting the episode Storm the Castle based on an AU premise requested by user 'brave kid' (thanks again for the idea, by the way). I can't tell you what it is, though. That would ruin the whole story. It's really cool, though, I promise. Just see the whole thing before you decide to throw your computer or phone at the wall.**

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It was relatively quiet in the castle of Ludo. The perpetual darkness that usually surrounded the building remained in tact. The monsters inside still lurked around the grounds. Yes, this was the closest to 'peaceful' Ludo's grounds had ever been called. Yet something about tonight was completely different. Or rather, some _one_ was there who didn't belong.

"So, what do you want from me?" Marco asked. Currently, he was seated in a cushy chair in a warm crystal box. Normally he would have been relatively comfortable, but with his wrists tied to the sides, he was more concerned with escape than enjoying his seat. The boy blew a lock of brown hair out of his eyes, looking at the 9-fingered lizard in front of him with barely disguised hatred. The creature merely sighed as the teen struggled against his bonds.

"You disappoint me, Marco. From what I was told about you, I was expecting . . ." Toffee trailed off, searching for the word. Finally he spun around to face the prisoner again. "More. Much more." The teen scoffed.

"Yeah, right." He was clawing at the armrests desperately, but to no avail. Finally, he groaned. "Again, why am I even here? I don't have anything, and it's not like my parents are super rich."

"I brought you here due to your connection to Star Butterfly," scoffed the beast. He wiped a hand over his face, exasperated, as though he was explaining something to a child. "Powerful Mewnian princess? Heir to the throne? Wielder of the wand? Do any of those things ring a bell, Mr. Diaz?" Marco shrugged.

"She's my best friend. We do everything together since she moved in. So? What does that have to do with anything?" he questioned, intrigued but still confused. Toffee silently gritted his teeth. This was going to be more of an annoyance than he thought.

"Everything?" Toffee questioned, trying to compose himself again. Marco shrugged.

"Well, yeah. We live in the same house, across the hall from eachother, we go to the same school, we visit other dimensions, and we fight monsters; feel free to take offense." The boy scowled at the lizard. "I don't know what you want with me, but if you hurt Star . . . you're dead."

"I'm sure the same could be said of you," muttered the monster. "But anyways, I'm not here for Star . . . not yet, anyways." He took this moment to sit down at the head of Ludo's table, crossing his legs and starring at Marco complacently. "I'm playing at investigator tonight." Marco moaned.

"Don't you ever just say what you mean? Why so mysterious?" the prisoner grumbled. "It's not like I care. I just want to leave." Toffee tilted his head.

"I find that confusion and misdirection are often some of the best ways to get answers out of subjects." Another minion of Ludo's brought out a cup of something, presumably coffee, and Toffee picked it up and sipped out of the side lightly. "And besides, taunting your tiny human brain is . . . amusing, to say the least." The monster stood up again, leaning forwards as if sharing a particularly good secret. "It takes someone special to be around Star. I wonder why she chose you. It's intriguing, indefinitely."

"Everybody loves Star," snorted Marco. "She's nice and outgoing to everyone she meets. She's not the most book-smart on Earth, but she knows how to rally people. She's clever and strong and . . . pretty." A light blush coated the boy's cheeks. "Really pretty. What's not to like?"

"Yes, she's fantastic," the lizard responded dryly, but one fist was now clenched. "But not everyone is her best friend. And in a remarkably short amount of time, I might add." To this, Marco had no response. "And this is where my interest lies. Tell me, how close are you and Star Butterfly?" To this, Marco blinked.

"Didn't I already answer that? She's the best friend I've ever had," he answered, confused. The monster on the other side of the crystal case wanted to smack the boy against the wall. Was he this dense after all?

"But is she _just_ your friend?" Toffee questioned, exasperated. After looking at the boy's vacant expression, he decided to elaborate. "I mean, are you just friends, or do you like her in a romantic sort of way? How far have you gotten in that regard?"

"WHAT?!" screeched Marco, who was now beyond embarrassed and surprised. "We're not, I mean - well, no, but . . . aggghhhh!" The boy continued to blubber and the creature sighed once more, stirring his drink again and waiting patiently for the teen to calm down.

"So I take it you've _never_ thought of her in that way?"

" . . . no?"

"Ah, I see. Even though she's a 'really pretty' girl who's living under your roof and spends every second of every day with you. Your words, not mine." Marco's face was fire engine red now, so bright it would probably blind a person.

"Well . . . I may have . . . thought about _us_ before," he admitted quietly. The lizard cocked an eyebrow, and the boy tried to backpedal slightly. "But only a couple of times! Like after the Blood Moon Ball - "

"You two went to the _BLOOD MOON BALL!_ And _TOGETHER!_ " Toffee practically roared. Even the single serving monster in the room cowered under Ludo's dining table. No one had ever seen the monster quite so angry. But after a second, Toffee leaned on the table, pulling out his handkerchief from the breast pocket of his suit before dabbing it on his forehead. He turned back to Marco, a nasty sneer placed upon his usually impassive face. "So what exactly did you _do_ at the Ball? I would ask how you got into it in the first place, considering the fact it's in the Underworld, but I know. Sadly. Tom, I presume, invited Star? And then you went as her friend? I imagine that went well."

"Well, actually I snuck in after Star left. I . . . well, I felt like I had to protect her, even though she can protect herself. Tom didn't know that I was there until the end, when I kinda danced with her during the Blood Moon thing." Toffee's eye was practically twitching.

"Let me get this straight. You and Star danced under the light of the Blood Moon together? An event that happens only about 350 years or so? Do you even _understand_ what that - " he stopped himself. "Of course you don't," the monster sneered. "You're only a child, after all."

"Hey!" protested Marco. "I'm old enough to fight your kind!"

"My kind." The lizard's eyes were definitely flaring now. "My . . . kind. Well, if you're so smart, understand this. The Blood Moon Ball is so special because it has the power to join two souls together for all eternity. Forever. End of discussion. It's also called the Moon of Souls, or the Moon of Lovers. Get the picture?"

"So when Star and I . . ." Marco suddenly felt prickly and sweaty, uncomfortable in his own skin. "Star and I aren't _lovers_. We're just . . . really good friends."

"You've said that already."

"Because it's true."

"Right," the lizard uttered. "Because it's absolute reality, and not because you're trying to convince yourself of something." The monster was back to normal (more or less) now, and he sat back down, holding up his head with his hand. "What do you two do together, then, if you're so 'friendly'?"

"Well, we dimension hop a lot, like I already said. It's kind of crazy and hectic and just _weird_ half the time, but we have fun. I couldn't do it without her. We cover eachother a lot; Star had saved my life more times than I can count, and vice versa. And I guess we adventure a lot. Actually, today, she almost got us killed trying to get a sandwich. A sandwich! I told her it wasn't worth her life, and then she got all mad at me." His face fell. "The last thing we did before I got taken by you was fight. And now . . ." He looked at the monster. "I need to make it better, even if she was acting crazy. I know that you're evil and all, but please let me go home." For a moment, genuine sympathy crossed the creature's face, as though he understood the situation and knew how Star Butterfly could be. But in an instant, the moment was over.

"I can't do that yet, Mr. Diaz." He took another sip of his coffee. "I still would like to ask you some more questions." Marco groaned. This was sure to be a long, _long_ night.

Meanwhile, outside of the castle, Star Butterfly stood with a recently friendly frog monster and a small cackling bird.

"Why exactly are you out here, Ludo?" she deadpanned, pulling out her wand and pointing it at her enemy. "You have some nerve to be outside alone after taking my Marco! Now where are you keeping him? What do you want from him?" Ludo only looked confused.

"You mean that Karate Boy is inside my castle?" he asked. Then he snarled. "My newest hire recently overthrew me! He took MY STAFF! MY MONSTERS! MY _CASTLE_! He is going to pay for this later, Butterfly, mark my words." The little bird man sat back in the dirt, pounding the ground with his tiny fists. "I need to get back in." Star only backed away.

"Yeah . . . no. I'm not helping you." She turned away, beginning towards the giant structure ahead of her. Instantly the creature scuttled up behind her, tugging her dress.

"You could use me, though!" he cried. "I can be invaluable. I know this castle like the back of my hand!" He flipped over his disgusting hand for reference. Star shuddered, but nodded, mostly to shut him up.

"I see." Ludo held out his hand. "I'm not touching the hand with the mole on it." He shrugged, putting the arm away and gesturing with his other appendage. "Actually, I'm not so sure that I want to touch any of my skin to your skin. Let's just go before I change my mind and leave you behind." Ludo laughed with a maniac's sort of joy, scampering to the door of the castle where they forced entry. But as Star was about to follow him in, Buff Frog held her back.

"Don't trust Ludo, Butterfly," he warned, a hand on her shoulder. He gestured to the fountain tied on his back. "I am father now. I want a good life for my babies. That is why I will help you. But don't expect the same courtesy from _him_. He cares for no one but himself."

"I understand," the magical princess said grimly, blonde hair blowing into her face as she brandished her wand and continued inside. The frog monster shook his head.

"I hope that girl knows what she is doing," he murmured quietly, hefting his children again and breaking into a light run down the hall.

Star had easily caught up to Ludo, who was racing free in his house.

"My glorious house of darkness," he cooed, stopping often to hug a pillar or kiss a wall. "I'll never leave you again!"

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered, dragging him along. "Now where to, Ludo?" He was too caught up in his glee to care much about the princess' summons. "LUDO!" she screamed next to him, and he remembered that she was there.

"We should go to the throne room next, Butterfly! Yes! That's it! I bet that lowlife who worked for me has already converted it! I bet he's sitting in my chair right now!" The small monster scowled darkly. "Why I'll flay him to death! Who did he think he was, anyways, to take over my house! Next I bet he's already switched out the curtains in my room! Or worse; eaten all of my corn from the stash in the kitchen!"

"So, you think he's sitting with Marco in the throne room?" Star questioned. Ludo blinked.

"Marco? Who's . . . oh. Well I'm totally sure that Karate Boy is in the throne room, watching that rapscallion sit in my chair! Or in the bedroom. Or the kitchen. I bet he's witnessing unspeakable horrors!" Star grabbed Ludo and Buff Frog, who had previously been standing with the duo silently.

"What say you, third member?" The frog monster simply shrugged.

"I have no idea where your friend is, but I see no reason why he would be in Ludo's private quarters or the palace kitchen." He took a moment to glare at his ex-employer. "But why not the dining room? Who knows. It's as good a place to start as any."

"Throne room!" whined Ludo. "It's called my throne room!"

"Fine, throne room," huffed Buff Frog. "But whatever you want to call it, we need to run this way." The trio agreed, darting off towards the center of Ludo's castle. Within minutes they were at the door.

"I hear voices," whispered Star, her ear pushed against the door. She pulled away. "I think one of them is Marco." The blue eyes girl held up her wand, which was now glowing. "I'm going in alone on the count of three. If he's not in there, you guys better take me to the dungeons or something. If he is . . . well, do whatever. I'll handle this by myself." She looked incredibly guilty as she turned back to the monsters. "I was a terrible friend. I almost let Marco die because of a sandwich earlier today. I need to redeem myself by saving him; without any help."

"I would sell you fools out for a sandwich," Ludo commented unhelpfully. The two others stared at him. "What? It's the truth."

"Here goes nothing," breathed Star. Slowly, she cracked open the massive wooden door to the dining room and ran inside.

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 **Mwahahaha. And this is where we cut off. I hope everyone enjoyed part 1 of this two-shot! The second half will be coming soon; at the latest, right after New Year's. Also, everything (including the main point that this prompted idea addresses) will be explained/included in part 2, so just hold in there. I promise that this isn't just a boring reiteration of the episode Storm the Castle. Again, reserve judgement of the whole fic until you read the second half.**

 **In addition to this, be sure to check out my first Star Vs fanfic, 'Blood Moons and Its'. It takes place after the season 2 winter finale. I've gotten really good reviews on it and am sure that you will like it as well if you ship Star and Marco.**

 **Bye everybody! I will be delivering part 2 shortly, don't worry!**


	2. Part 2

**Disclaimer: you get the gist, I presume.**

 **Anyways, just for a quick recap, Star has just broken into the castle to get Marco, who is being held captive by Toffee. Toffee, for some reason, is interrogating Marco on his relationship with Star.**

 **I mean, I know you guys just read that, but whatever. For those who were miraculously confused, tada!**

* * *

Marco was pretty much done now. This was a different kind of torture; letting the world know about his relationships. He was already insecure about his crushes, but this? This was brutal. Not to mention the fact that he had been stuck in this stupid cushy swivel chair for two hours and his legs had fallen asleep.

"I wish _I_ could fall asleep," he murmured, stifling a yawn. Who could blame him? Marco Diaz had been up for almost 24 hours, and he almost died that afternoon after spending the whole morning questing for a sandwich. Then he and Star got into a huge fight, he was brutally knocked out and stuffed into an uncomfortable sack, was thrown through a couple portals, and was bound up and restrained. It had been a tough day.

And, unfortunately, it still wasn't over. Marco was being kept up so he could divulge information on his best friend.

Someone should just kill him now.

"Sorry, Mr. Diaz, but no. We're still not done." Toffee had ordered another three coffees in his time quizzing Marco and was currently finishing the last one. "I have a few more questions for you before you can leave." Marco groaned.

"Seriously? I've already answered, like, 50! What more do you want to know, anyways?" he protested. "I just want to go home and sleep. Please. That's all I'm asking for." Toffee only sighed.

"Yes, well, we can't all be primitive bags of flesh who rely off of energy to live."

"I feel like I should take offense to that," he deadpanned. Toffee shrugged.

"I suppose you _can_ , but it was just the truth." He took a moment to clear his voice. The lizard could stay awake for days without rest, but now it had been almost a week and a half without sleep. It was starting to catch up with him, and thus the caffeine intake. "Anyhow, let's continue, shall we?"

"I don't want to."

"Good. You have no choice anyways. Have you and Star Butterfly kissed?"

"NO!" Marco practically shouted, jumping up with shock and straining his wrists. He sat back down with a scowl out of pain, but it was soon replaced by a smattering of red. "We aren't even dating!"

"What difference does that make?" the monster asked, staring into the crystal enclosure. "I'm sure other boys your age have kissed girls they're not dating. I have, at one point."

"Why you little - " Marco said venomously, eyes narrowed. However, he was cut off by Star, who had just entered the room.

"HIYYAHH! YOU LET MARCO . . . go?" The teen looked puzzledly at the scene, slowly taking in Marco's cage and restraints, the million empty coffee cups, and Toffee. "Toffee? Wait a second, what are you doing here? Why is Marco all tied up?" The creature stood up and walked across the room. For a split second Marco thought that the monster would slap Star, but what happened surprised him even more. He hugged her.

"It's been too long, hasn't it? You weren't supposed to visit me until next month. How did you even get in?" he asked with concern. Marco's eyes almost fell out of his head. He began to blubber.

"What am I looking at what's going on I'm so confused please help I don't think I can take - "

"Shhhhhh," Star said, crossing the room and rubbing her finger against the crystal. "It's okay. Breathe, Marco." She turned to the monster. "Care to explain?"

"Well," he began sheepishly. "I took your boyfriend here so I could ask him questions about you." He rubbed the back of his neck. "It's kind of a funny story, really . . ." She glared at him. "I didn't torture him or anything! I just held him against his will without any consent or warning. It's fine."

"Hey, I'd like to disagree!" Marco yelled from his chair, finally regaining his wits.

"The adults are talking, Mr. Diaz," grumbled Toffee. "But since you're so confused, I guess we'd better illuminate the situation." He gripped his tie, readjusting it. "Star is actually my daughter. "

"WHAT?!" the boy exclaimed. And he thought the day was weird beforehand . . .

"Yeah, it's true," blushed the princess. "I'm so sorry, Marco. I had no idea Toffee would do this."

"Anyhow, you must understand that Moon, River, and I were very . . . close, once. Back then, Mewni was split in two official halves; River's family owned one part, Moon's family had the other. I was a part of the monsters' royal family; nowhere close to the throne, but still, I was a noble. The three of us were good friends, and then Moon became 18, and we became more than friends, to say the least. I became her boyfriend and River her best friend, and we were all still fine."

"That sounds gross," Marco said, disgusted. "You and Moon? She's terrifying." Toffee chose to ignore the teen, continuing on.

"And then the two royal families arranged a marriage for Moon and River without telling the three of us. A pretty big shock came with that, obviously. Moon and I got into several fights before her wedding and called us off." Marco looked at the stump of a finger on Toffee's hand wearily.

"Was _that_ one of the side effects of your arguments?" the teen asked, almost afraid of the answer. The monster coughed into his hand, sounding as though he was choking down marbles.

"Yes, well, she was pretty angry. In a . . . 'sparring match' . . . she kind of brought a fourth of Mewni's army and broke out her sword. It wasn't pretty."

"Ouch."

"I agree. But that was all a long time ago; it was probably for the best that we broke up. She married her best friend, and when Star was born . . . well, she wasn't like normal children. She was far too fast a learner, too . . . energetic, to say the least. She was too much of a fighter. And, of course, with her interest in all thing monstrous, it was clear that she inherited a part of herself from me. Luckily she was born with her mother's looks, and nobody knew any different. Blue eyes and light hair are Moon's family traits for sure, but blond is also River's color, so everyone naturally assumed . . ." He looked away, as if trying to grab at the memories clouding his vision. "River and Moon told me. Even though we had fought earlier, we were still friends. We still grew up together. But her and River . . . they clicked in my absence. Maybe all they needed was the right reason to. Nowadays Star visits me a couple times a month. It's not ideal, but it works." He gripped the edge of Ludo's dining table. "I haven't seen Moon and River in a year." He straightened up. "Maybe I should go pay them a visit in the castle."

"I guess that makes sense . . ." Marco started, the information slowly processing. Star's horned headband, bloodlust, and crazy boots and clothing . . . something about her was definitely monstrous. She even _dated a demon_. Somehow it explained a lot. Then he perked up suspiciously. "Wait a minute. If you're Star's father, why does she call King River her dad?"

"He's my stepdad, Marco," snorted Star in the background. She sat down leisurely in Ludo's throne. "He's married to my mom, is in love with her, and has raised me since I was born. Heck, I lived in the castle with him almost all of my life! Why _wouldn't_ I call him Dad?"

"But you called Toffee by his name!"

"Have you _seen_ my family, Marco?" she laughed, a loud sound that filled the room. "We're a big, tangled, messy web of relatives. It's way easier to just call Toffee 'Toffee'. And besides, he may be my real father, but he wasn't there with me all the time as I was growing up. He's more like an uncle that I see every so often, but calling your dad 'Uncle Toffee' is just strange." She flushed again, realizing what she just said. "No offense, Toffee."

"None taken," he shrugged. "It's true enough. But that doesn't mean I have to like it." Star nodded in agreement before noticing something.

"Hey, you stole Marco! Without asking me! Let him out; I don't even know what you wanted to ask him. If you were curious, you could have just said something to me!" The teen produced her wand again, shoving it towards her father.

"I was asking him questions about your love life, okay?" he admitted. Star only squinted angrily. "It'll never happen again, okay? Here, I'm letting him go right now." He pressed a button and the crystal shield opened up, producing a door. The shackles snapped apart and Marco ran out.

"Freedom!" he cried, hugging Star and kissing her cheek. "Thank goodness you're okay!" She hugged him back.

"If anyone should be worried, it's me, Safe Kid. You were held against your will in this castle for hours!" She took a moment to glare at her parent before turning back to her friend. "A kiss on the cheek, though?" she teased, but there was genuine nervousness in her tone.

"Hey, I missed you," Marco replied, shoving her. They held eachother for the longest time, warm and tired and relived. There was this lightness in Star's chest that did loops in her stomach and knotted her innards. Then Toffee cleared his throat and the duo pulled apart, embarrassed.

"Now anyways, you have to do something for me, Star. I wasn't planning on this, but overthrowing Ludo really gives you the perfect chance to try out something." The monster looked at the children expectantly. "Well?"

"Toffee, why did you work for Ludo in the first place?" Both questioned out loud.

"I came here to gather intel on Ludo's possible plans for you," explained the lizard. "Unfortunately, or perhaps luckily, I've learned that the sniveling creature is a hapless whelp with no direction or backbone. In other words, he just wants the wand, which is understandable, but he has no concrete plans on how to get it or what to use it for. He's useless, and therefore my time here was pointless. I was planning on leaving tonight, but then they mentioned 'Karate Boy and Butterfly' and you got kidnapped, Diaz." The creature had an expression almost akin to sheepishness on his face. "Sorry about all of this, by the way."

"It's . . . well, no, it's not fine, but whatever. If you could just take us home, I'd rather just forget all of this and go to bed." He grabbed Star's scissors from her other hand and was about to rip a portal. "It was interesting meeting you and all, but I'm done for the night." But just as Marco was about to step into it, his best friend stopped him.

"What did you say you wanted me to do before this, Toffee?" she asked. In all honesty, she just wanted to go back home as well, but still. Her father was there.

"I want you to destroy Ludo's castle." the monster said this so calmly, sitting down at the dining table again and leisurely folding his hands.

"WHAT?!" she screeched.

"It's a golden opportunity to get rid of your enemy. You're in the heart of this castle and the monsters inside have no coordination with attacks because Ludo's gone. Not that they ever did anyhow, but when will you get a chance like this again?" Star suddenly looked helpless again and Marco walked over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I can't," she stated, upset and almost dissapointed. "I don't know a spell that powerful."

"But you do," Toffee exclaimed, crossing his legs and leaning forwards slightly. "It's the first spell your mother taught you." She gasped, realizing what that meant.

"The whispering spell," she muttered softly. Her legs almost gave way and tears pooled in her eyes. "But that means . . ."

"The wand will be gone for now, yes," her father finished. "But the castle will be gone and you will therefore be safe. Forever."

"But . . . but . . . Marco and I can fight!" she pleaded. "It's not fair! We can defend ourselves!"

"Yes, for now. But can you hold them off forever?" Marco looked at Star sadly, seeing how upset she was, before uttering something he never thought he'd say.

"If the wand is gone, nobody will ever try to hurt you for it ever again." There was no noise for a while, and silence overtook the cavernous room. At last, Star closed her eyes, blinking, before standing up straight again.

"Okay." Slowly she spoke the spell, talking to her birthright so quietly the words could barely be heard. Marco watched as a dark light emitted from the magical object, drowning the world momentarily in shadows and mist. A unicorn's soul left the star on the wand and flitted around her head. It spoke its last sentences to Star, leaning towards her ear, and she nodded, her tears now flowing freely. Suddenly she stood up, the wand's remains returning to ashes, and wiped her tears. "It's not quiet over yet."

The great castle began to shudder and quack, the receptacle of evil falling apart after years of standing. the ground was now unstable and soft, and it churned beneath the feet of the trio.

"If you're still behind the door, Buff Frog, I suggest you leave now!" shouted Star at the top of her lungs. "I can't say the same for Ludo, though! I don't think I care about him!" This place was crumbling to a crisp, but the princess could hear the audible sounds of webbed feet running for the door. The bird creature, however, only screeched in agony as a panicking monster attempting to leave ate him.

Now the roof was caving in, shards of obsidian and stone falling faster and harder around them.

"Let's get out of here, everyone!" yelled Marco. He grabbed the scissors and tried to rip a hole in reality, but found that he couldn't. "There's too much magical energy around! It's messing with the scissors!" Star then remembered something. She ran into the crystal chamber, grabbing Marco and closing the door behind her. Of course, then she realized who she had forgotten.

"Toffee! Get inside! There isn't much time!" Toffee only laughed bitterly, staring at the mess around them.

"This is the end, Star. Don't you think it'll be odd when the princess of Mewni and _me_ of all people are seen together? That you saved me? It won't be pretty."

"But . . ."

"I'm tired, Star. It's been far too long. I've spent so much of my life in hiding. I think it's time I face the music."

"You'll die!" she cried, long hair sticking to her wet face.

"Tell Moon and River that I love them."

"I - "

"What's death but a new adventure?" he pondered, his suit already ripping as debris fell onto him. Suddenly, sensing the end of the spell was near, Marco held onto Star.

"We love you, Star Butterfly," the teen whispered to the magical princess, who had sunken to the floor and was gripping the collar of his shirt. "We love you."

And then it was done. the explosion, the rumbling of the planet, the swirling mess. All of it had cleared away, revealing a crystal chamber that was near breaking, a battered body in the midst of woodchips and gravel, and a pearly egg. Star and Marco got up, surveying their surroundings.

"Oh no," Marco breathed heavily, directing his vision towards the figure of Toffee. He hadn't exactly liked the monster, but still. He didn't deserve to die. The boy thought the creature was dead until he opened his eyes, grunting. "Star, he's alive."

"Look," exhaled the lizard with obvious pain. He tried for a last smile. "The stars are out tonight." The teens looked up. In the inky darkness lied pinpricks of light, cutting through the black of above.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Star laughed with no humor. The old monster nodded, barely able to keep his eyes open.

"Star . . . the stars . . ." he echoed. And just like that, he was finally gone. Star laughed again, sobs breaking through the hysteria.

"I couldn't save him," she said numbly to her friend.

"He didn't want to be saved," assured Marco, gently stroking her head. "It's over now. It's alright. I hear the afterlife is great."

"Tom will take him in," agreed Star slowly. Her cheeks were stained with soot and salt water as she leaned into Marco. "But I'm a failure."

"I think you're pretty great," said the boy, lifting up her chin. Gosh, her eyes. She was incredible. How could anybody ever think that she was a failure? Marco just wanted to bundle her up away from the world where she wouldn't be sad ever again.

He kissed her forehead tenderly. "We're going to be okay." In this distance, Ludo popped out of the egg, asking about his castle. But they ignored him, choosing just to watch the remains of the fortress. out of the ruins, a new wand was formed. A new beginning. A new hope.

Star nodded at her bestie.

"Yeah, I think we'll be okay."

* * *

 **Hey everybody, that was my Storm the Castle rewrite! The original idea centered around Toffee interrogating Marco because he was Star's father, and like any overzealous parent, he wanted to make sure the teen wasn't a threat to his daughter. That and he wanted to see if Marco was attracted to his kid (most likely so he could have a 'talk' with him afterwards, but still).**

 **I opted for a sadder ending this time. Did any of you like this? Did I destroy any hearts in the process? I needs to know.**

 **Bye for now, readers. I hope everyone enjoyed my second Star Vs fanfic!**


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